Inside the Palast der Republik in 2003,
after asbestos and interior furnishings were removed

Palast der Republik

The Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic) was a
building in Berlin, on the bank of the River Spree between Schlossplatz
and the Lustgarten (both referred to jointly as Marx-Engels-Platz from
1951 to 1994). It served primarily as the seat of the East German
parliament, the Volkskammer, but it also housed two large auditoriums,
art galleries, restaurants and a bowling alley.

Noteworthy events held at the PalastSome of the most noteworthy events hosted at the Palast
der Republik included the party congresses of the Socialist Unity Party
(SED) and the state gala on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the GDR
in October 1989, at which Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was present.
In October 1983, the West German rock star Udo Lindenberg was
surprisingly permitted to perform in concert at the Palast der Republik.
At the concert, Lindenberg sang one of his best-known songs, Sonderzug
nach Pankow ("Special Train To Pankow"), which satirized East German
leader Erich Honecker, and which he had been asked not to play.

HistoryThe Palast was constructed from 1973 to 1976 in the
prevailing architectural style for East German buildings, with bronze
mirrored windows. The grand opening ceremony was held on 23 April 1976,
and the building was opened to the public on 25 April 1976. It was built
on the site of the old Berliner Stadtschloss
(Berlin City Palace), which was damaged during World War II but finally
demolished by the GDR authorities in 1950, as they regarded it a symbol
of Prussian imperialism. It was sometimes nicknamed "Ballast der
Republik" ("Ballast of the Republic"), "Erichs Lampenladen" ("Erich's
Lamp Shop", referring to Erich Honecker and the 1001 lamps hanging in
the foyer), or "Palazzo Prozzo."

Asbestos contaminationJust prior to German reunification in October 1990, the
building was found to be contaminated with asbestos and was closed to
the public on 19 September 1990 by decree of the Volkskammer. By 2003,
all the asbestos had been removed along with internal and external
fittings and was ready for demolition. The shell of the building was
opened for visitors in the summer of 2003, and a pressure group
campaigned for temporary use of the building for cultural events until
its eventual demolition. Beginning in the spring of 2004 the building
was used for events such as housing an exhibition of the Terracotta Army
or a special concert by the famous Berlin-based band Einstürzende
Neubauten that seemed to be fitting very well into the debate about the
deconstruction, as the band's name means "collapsing new buildings" in
English.

DemolitionIn November 2003, the German parliament decided to
demolish the building and leave the area as parkland until funding for
the reconstruction of the Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace)
could be found. Demolition started on 6 February 2006 and is scheduled
to last about 15 months. The demolition will be carried out as a careful
and slow process in order not to endanger neighbouring historical
buildings such as the Berliner Dom. The cost of the demolition is
estimated at 12 million euros. Funding for the planned reconstruction of
the City Palace is still being arranged. The official cost estimate
starts at 400 million euros, although a much higher figure is suggested
by some.